


The Favor

by Cymbidia



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: AS IN an alternate interpretation of a canon scene, Alternate Universe - Canon, Antman Post Credits Scene, Gen, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 12:13:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4348385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cymbidia/pseuds/Cymbidia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Bucky is a mechanic and his arm gets stuck in machinery he’s trying to fix, he complains about grease on his favourite top, and the only reason he looks desperate and intense is that he needs to pee.</p><p>aka an alternate interpretation of the post credits scene in Antman for those who are firmly in denial about the pain that Civil War is going to bring.</p><p> </p><p>"Steve’s phone rang while he was out running on Saturday morning. The caller ID showed Bucky calling, so he immediately stopped in his tracks and picked up.“Hey Buck, what’s up?” Steve said.<br/>“Steve….“Bucky said, his voice strange and strangled. “Could I, uh, ask you for a favour?”"<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Favor

**Author's Note:**

> this was written very soon after the scene first leaked. I don't speak French so for the dialogue I've depended on that translation on Tumblr which I somehow can't find again (did the post get deleted or??).

Steve’s phone rang while he was out running on Saturday morning. The caller ID showed Bucky calling, so he immediately stopped in his tracks and picked up.“Hey Buck, what’s up?” Steve said.  
“Steve….“Bucky said, his voice strange and strangled. “Could I, uh, ask you for a favour?”  
After Bucky had made contact with Steve, he still mostly kept his distance, visiting Steve and hanging out with him and Sam maybe once a week at best. He now worked as a mechanic, fixing heavy machinery in factories and such, and his work kept him busy and roving the city, making it easy for him to avoid Steve when he wanted to. Steve, over eager to help as always, immediately answered to the affirmative.  
“Sure Buck,” he said. “You know you can ask me for help with anything.”  
“Uh, I’m kind of, uh, stuck.” Bucky mumbled. “I might need some help from your super muscles. ”  
“Stuck?” Steve echoed, his eyebrows making for his hairline.  
“Uh, yeah.” Bucky said, embarrassed. “I was trying to get inside some of the machinery, but, uh, I can’t get my hand back out.”  
“Text me the address and I’ll be there as fast as I can.” Steve said, turning around and jogging home at his fastest pace, not even bothering to change out of his running clothes before slinging himself onto his motorcycle and making off for Bucky’s location.  
When Steve makes his way into the factory, he finds it abandoned to the silence of the weekend. Bucky is in a dimly lit room that had to be violating at least half of all OSHA regulations. Bucky was half sitting half crouching by a mysterious piece of machinery, his hand stuck inside of it.  
“Hey Steve.” He said, when Steve made his way inside. “I could really do with some of your super soldier muscles right now.”  
Steve rolled his eyes. “What, your atrociously oversized bicep and your bionic arm that can crack concrete not enough the job?”  
“My metal arm probably could do the job, _if it wasn’t stuck._ “ Bucky said, “but if it was my right had stuck in there, I’d also be in need of yet another replacement limb, so it’s just as well.”  
Steve prodded the machine of mysterious function for a moment, looking for a handhold or a convenient place to lift. He heaved and strained, but the weight was too much for him. Bucky joined in with his free hand, but even then, it did no good.  
“Maybe I could try dismantling the machine.” Steve offered. Bucky looked doubtful about Steve’s mechanical savvy, and proved his doubt was justified when all that Steve managed to do was smear grease all over himself and also over Bucky’s already grimy red henley.  
“Ugh.” Bucky complained. “Now I’ll never wash this shirt out. It’s my favourite top.”  
Steve rolled his eyes. “You shouldn’t have worn it to work, then.” He said.

A silence.

“Maybe we need more help.” Steve suggested. Bucky looked doubtful, because he didn’t really trust anyone, himself and Steve included, and he really didn’t trust any of Steve’s superhero friends, especially since just last week, Tony Stark had used a list of his greatest hits to build a case for some kind of superhero patriot act.  
“How about we call Sam?” Steve suggested. Bucky nodded grudgingly. He didn’t trust Sam, not really, but he still liked him a hell of a lot better than the rest of the idiots Steve hung out with.  
Steve dialled Sam’s number and explained the situation to him and asked for his help. Sam laughed at them, but promised that he was on his way.  
“Hey, Buck, are there any bathrooms around here?” Steve wanted to know. “I gotta take a piss.”  
Bucky’s face suddenly crumpled into a sour pinched expression.  
“Yeah, just out that door and to the left.” Bucky said. Steve turned and made his way out the room. Behind him, Bucky began tapping his foot and shifting his weight around.

Sam arrived a few minutes later, making his way to Bucky just as Steve emerged from his trip to the bathroom. Bucky’s face was obscured by his curtain of hair and his glower held an edge of desperation.  
“Help me.” He mouthed at Steve, looking strained, squeezing his legs together.  
“This would have been a lot easier a week ago.” Sam said. Bucky refrained from making a cutting remark about Stark, but only just. Steve had almost come to blows with Stark last week over his opinions of Bucky.  
“What if we _asked_ Tony?” Steve said. Steve was pretty tired of Stark’s shit too, but he looked like he was willing to swallow his pride on Bucky’s behalf.  
“He’d never believe us.” Sam said. He’s never believe that Bucky needed help, that Bucky wasn’t still working for HYDRA, wouldn’t believe that Bucky was who Steve said he was.  
“And even if he did—” Steve said, looking tired.  
“We don’t know what his contracts would let him do.” Sam said. Tony, who had always been flippantly irreverent in the face of politicians, had been doing some uncharacteristic schmoozing and negotiated a few under the table deals to smooth the way for the bill he was working on. Even if he was willing to help Bucky, his allies wouldn’t look favourably upon him basically helping the enemy.  
“So we’re alone?” Steve asked. Sam was a good friend and a dependable comrade, and maybe he could try helping by lifting while flying with his wings, but he didn’t have super strength or a crane, and he wasn’t a mechanic either.  
“Maybe not.” Same said thoughtfully. “I might know a guy.”  
“Who?” Steve wanted to know.  
“The guy we were hearing about before, calls himself Antman. Guy built his own suit, so I figured he’s gotta be good with machines. Plus he seems to have some kind of super strength too, if that helps.”  
Bucky tsked unhappily, but instead of disagreeing he crossed his legs and said, “how fast can he get here?”


End file.
